Quick Facts
Biography
Óscar Boniek García Ramírez (born September 4, 1984) is a Honduran footballer who currently plays for Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer. He received his middle name Boniek after famous Polish international player Zbigniew Boniek.
Club career
García made his senior debut on August 10, 2003 with Real Patepluma, losing 4–1 to Atlético Olanchano. In 2004, he joined Olimpia of Honduras. He also played for Marathón of Honduras. He also went for a 15-day trial with French club Paris Saint Germain and played two friendly games with the team that toured Portugal to play against Vitória Guimarães and Benfica.
During August 2009, it was announced that he would travel to Wigan Athletic of the English Premiership, in order to sign a three-year contract with the club, along with fellow Honduran, Roger Rojas. The contract was not signed and García stayed with Olimpia.
On June 7, 2012, García signed with Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo to become their 2nd ever Designated Player. On July 15, 2012, he scored his first goal in a Dynamo jersey and in Major League Soccer against D.C. United in the 62nd minute. On November 26, 2012, Boniek was awarded the "Player's Player of the Year" award, despite playing only half of the season.
International career
García made his debut for Honduras in a July 2005 friendly match against Canada and has earned, as of July 2015, a total of 105 caps, scoring two goals. He has represented his country in 11 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at the 2007, 2009, and 2011 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 2005, 2007, and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cups. He was also a non-playing squad member at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He eventually played all three group E matches for Honduras National team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil including against France national Team when he came on as a substitute.
International goals
- Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | September 4, 2010 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, USA |  El Salvador | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | June 11, 2013 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras |  Jamaica | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | March 29, 2016 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | El Salvador | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Personal life
He was given the middle name Boniek in honour of Zbigniew Boniek, the famous Polish international footballer. García chose to have the name "Boniek" written across the back of his jersey while playing for Houston.
Garcia holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.
Honours and awards
Club
- C.D. Olimpia
- Liga Profesional de Honduras (8): 2004–05 C, 2005–06 A, 2005–06 C, 2007–08 C, 2008–09 C, 2009–10 C, 2011–12 A, 2011–12 C
- Houston Dynamo
- MLS Eastern Conference (1): 2012
Country
- Honduras
- Copa Centroamericana (1): 2011
Individual
- MLS Latin Player of the Year (Latino del Año): 2012
- Pinzón, Diego (December 3, 2012). "Houston's Boniek García named FutbolMLS.com's 2012 Latino del Año". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved February 1, 2014.